Our View: Parents need to support their students

Sunday

Mar 2, 2014 at 12:01 AMMar 3, 2014 at 8:16 AM

The meeting at New Bedford High School at which Superintendent Pia Durkin discussed the school's turnaround plan was at 2:30 last Thursday afternoon, when lots of parents were probably at work. Still, isn't it telling that a mere handful of parents attended on behalf of more than 2,000 students?

The meeting at New Bedford High School at which Superintendent Pia Durkin discussed the school's turnaround plan was at 2:30 last Thursday afternoon, when lots of parents were probably at work. Still, isn't it telling that a mere handful of parents attended on behalf of more than 2,000 students?

Parental attendance was hardly any better last summer when the principal of the John Avery Parker Elementary School offered an opportunity to hear how she intended to pull the school out of Level 5 status.

Isn't it telling?

The school department promoted last Thursday's meeting in a press release sent to several media outlets, including radio and The Standard-Times, which prominently previewed the meeting. And every parent with a phone number on file with the school received an automated phone call, delivered in Spanish, Portuguese or English.

Yet only 15 parents attended.

The administration is doing plenty to make parents feel welcome, but letting them know they are essential to the improvement of this troubled system seems a little harder to communicate.

The message from the schools has been that everyone needs to pull together to restore success to New Bedford Public Schools, but the one stakeholder group that really needs to get this message is parents.

There's another meeting on the NBHS turnaround plan Monday at 6 p.m., when more working parents should be able to attend.

Unfortunately, in New Bedford, as in other urban districts, many of the parents upon whom so much depends are not reading this in the newspaper or online, or listening to English-language radio.

Those of you who are reading, you need to get involved. And you need to realize it's in your best interest to reach out to those of your neighbors who may not be inclined to get to the superintendent's meeting on Monday (or into their children's schools at all).

City councilors, School Committee members: Get into your wards and neighborhoods to rally support for the children you represent. Business owners, advocacy groups: Please let your customers and clients know how important it is to you for your community to have well-educated children, and how critical it is for them to have their parents' support.

The plan on Monday night is to meet in the same small classroom as Thursday. Listen New Bedford: It's vital that parents take a strong role in their children's education. Reach out, get to that meeting, and force the meeting out of the classroom and into the auditorium. Let your voices be heard, and let your children know that you're speaking up for — and supporting — their education.

The schools and the teachers cannot do it alone. They need you.

This story was modified on March 3, 2014, to reflect the following:

Superintendent Pia Durkin's meeting at New Bedford High School to discuss the school's turnaround plan for academic year 2014-15 begins at 6 p.m. The time was incorrect in Our View in the Sunday Standard-Times.

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